Amethyst Knights
The Amethyst Knights are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter created during the 15th Founding. Created to assist in the Dark Marches Crusade of the 36th Millenium, the Ameythst Knights helped bring over 30 worlds into imperial compliance until the death of their Grand Marshal forced them to pull back. Despite a large majority of those worlds having been lost in the millennia following the Crusade, the Amethyst Knights have continued to battle the constant threats facing the Dark Marches. In recent years, the Chapter has suffered a heavy blow in the deaths of over half their Astartes, due to an affliction caused by their former Chief Apothecary Silvias in an attempt to cure the flaws in their Gene-Seed. While not threatened with extinction, the Chapter has been forced to operate at below optimal numbers. Regardless, the Knights still remain steadfast in their duties to the Imperium, and as a nightmare to any enemies that may believe them vulnerable. History The Amethyst Knights were created in order to assist with the capture of worlds during the Dark Marches Crusade. Led by Grand Marshal Solomon, the first Chapter Master of the Knights, the Space Marines swept through sectors like a violet tidal wave, quickly earning a name for themselves as masters of Shock Assault tactics. Over a century of battles led to over 30 worlds falling to Imperial compliance due to the efforts of the Chapter. Unfortunately, the Chapter would take heavy losses in the final battle of the Crusade they participated in, the Battle of Hardola III. Assaulting Ork forces that occupied the planet, victory seemed all but assured until the arrival of the Space Hulk Defs Head, bringing with it a horde of Greenskins nearly five times the size of those on the planet. The foul xenos smashed into the planet, attacking the Chapter from all sides. Despite the odds, the Astartes managed to defeat the Ork host, though not without a great cost. In addition to the loss of 3 companies, Grand Marshal Solomon would also meet his end after being mortally wounded, though not before personally slaying the Warboss of the Defs Hed. This struck a huge blow to both the Chapters fighting strength and moral, and for the remainder of the Crusade, they focused on rebuilding their forces and defending their home system. Notable Campaigns Dark Marches Crusade (610-760 M36) Battle of Belkos Minor (612 M36)- The first major deployment of Amethyst Knights, sent to take the last remaining stronghold on the planet of Belkos Minor in the Haxan Sector. Facing against colonies who refused to be assimilated into the Imperium, the forces of Belkos Minor outnumbered the Chapter nearly 10 to 1. Unfortunately, the colonies militia was nowhere near a match for the elite Astartes, and in open battle in the region known as the Clavt Plains, the Amethyst Knights cut through the militia forces like a hot knife through butter. Only taking a loss of 10 battle brothers, the Chapters victory was so dominant that following this the remaining forces of the colony surrendered without a fight. Conquest of Graxton ll (630-632 M36)- The Amethyst Knights 3rd and 4th company joined imperial forces in taking the world of Graxton ll from the hands of the Greenskins inhabiting the planet. The Knights often took the role of attacking Ork supply lines, making great use of their expertise in hit-and-run tactics. Battle of Hardola lll (757 M36)- The last major battle of the Dark Marches Crusade that involved the Amethyst Knights. Originally sent to exterminate the Orks on the planet of Hardola lll, the Chapter was sent in full force in order to assure a quick victory. Unfortunately, midway through the battle, a Space Hulk popped out of the Warp above the planet. Called the Defs Hed ''by the Greenskins on board, the Hulk contained nearly 5 times the amount of Orks residing on the planet below. With this change in number, the Chapter found itself on the wrong side of an uphill battle. While they would ultimately triumph over the foul xenos, it would come at a great cost. 3 battalions worth of marines were lost, as well as the Chapters Grand Marshall, Solomon. Before his death, Solomon managed to slay the warboss of the Orks, Big Toof, in single combat, earning his personal weapon, a large Eviscerator, the name ''Giants Bane Other Campaigns Creptan Sub-Sector Pacification (721 M41)- 'The 2nd Battalion of the Amethyst Knights joined a regiment of the Imperial Guard to put down an uprising in the Creptan Sub-Subsector. There, the Battalion discovered the rebellion to have been caused by a chaos cult dedicated to Tzeentch, who in addition to creating strife in the area were also attempting to summon a Greater Daemon of the Changer of Ways. The Battalion would manage to put down the uprising and stop the foul creature, but not without the loss of several Astartes, including the Marshal of the 2nd Battalion, Durgian. Sergeant Swain, the marine who ultimately defeated the creature, would later replace the late Marshal upon the Battalions return to Novera. '''The Stand-Off on Malios ll (923 M41)- '''The 4th and 3rd Battalions joined companies of the Sons of Antaeus and Black Dragons Chapters in defending the forge world of Malios ll from an invasion by a Chaos Warband. This would be the first major operation carried out by the Amethyst Knights following the devastation caused by Silvias's folly. Though successful, the situation between the Knights and the Black Dragons was tense from the start, and nearly came to violence after the traitors had been routed. Records indicate that the animosity stemmed from rumors of the Black Dragons encouragement of their genetic mutations. Having recently lost many Battle-Brothers due to tampering with the geneseed, the possibility of another Chapter doing something similar with such reckless abandon enraged the remaining members of the Knights. Organization Due to the highly mobile nature of the Chapter in its early years, the Amethyst Knights initially recruited fro a variety of worlds, from the savage tribes of feral worlds to the sons of the noble houses of hive worlds. As such, ones standing in the Chapter would rely more on an individuals skill than by right of birth. Even as the Chapter has lowered the number of worlds it recruits from, this attitude is still prevalent among the Knights. While the Amythst Knights keep their numbers within the standards of the ''Codex Astartes, such as the use of 10 man squads, the Chapter uses its own terminology and formation of its forces. Namely, instead of a Chapter Master and Captains, the leadership of the Amethyst Knights is referred to as the Grand Marshal and Marshal, respectively, by its Marines. In addition, instead of 10 Companies of 100 Astartes each, the Knights are arranged into 7 Battalions of 130 Marines. *The 1st Battalion, the Veterans Battalion, consists of Terminator and Veterans Squads, as well as the specialist Elite Assault Bike Squads. *The 2nd-5th Battalions act as the Battle companies of the Chapter. Makes use of Assault, Devastator, and Tactical Squads, in addition to Assault Bike Squads. *The 6th Battalion acts as the reserve forces of the Chapter. *The 7th Battalion, acting as the scouting force of the Knights. Unlike the other Battalions, the 7th only consists of 50 Astartes formed into Scout Squads. Unlike most Chapters, the Amethyst Knights have their Assault Bikers in their own Squad instead of as a special formation of the standard Assault Squad. The Elite Bikers act as a Veteran variant of the standard Bike Squad. Heraldry The symbol of the Amythst Knights is a white gem on a purple background. Battle Brothers who distinguish themselves on the battlefield are decorated with the Purpura Gloria, a special badge created for the crystals native to the Chapters home planet. The Amythest Knights standard colors are purple and bone white. The armors trim usually designates which Battalion they belong to, such as gold for the 1st Battalion. Battle Doctrine The preferred tactic of the Amethyst Knights is that of Shock Assault. The Astartes of crash into enemies like a purple tidal wave, cleaving through enemy forces and then disappearing almost as soon as they appeared. Assuming they survive the first wave of attack, the enemies of the Chapter can expect to be hit with these lightning-like attacks until they have been wiped out. The Chapters preference for fast hit and run tactics has led to them adopting the use of faster, more mobile vehicles, such as Land Speeders and StormTalon Gunships. The use of Attack Bikes has become a specialty of the chapter, having specialty Assault Bike Squads. Generally, use of heavier, slower vehicles and squads are used by the 1st Battalion, who has access to the Chapters Terminators and Dreadnoughts. Astartes of the Chapter are known to make use of standard Bolter Rifles and Pistols for ranged combat. While fully capable of holding their own in a firefight, the Knights generally prefer close combat. The Chapter is also known for their skill with the Power Lance. While most Astartes consider the weapon to unwieldy for conventional close quarters combat, the Amethyst Knights have trained themselves to use the weapon to its fullest effect. While incredibly effective in their preferred methods, some have questioned the battle doctrine of the Amethyst Knights. Their preferred vehicles, while fast and mobile, are generally lightly armored. In addition, their skills don't often translate as well to siege warfare as it does with the usual shock assault. Regardless of these apparent weaknesses, the Amethyst Knights are always a force to be reckoned with. Gene-Seed The identity of the Amethyst Knights parent Chapter is unknown to even its own Astartes. This does little to bother them though, as most of the Space Marines of the Amethyst Knights see it as an opportunity to make a name for themselves without standing in the shadow of an older Chapter. What is known is an unfortunate flaw in the Gene-Seed of the Chapter that takes the form of an affliction known as The Banquete. ''This affliction has two stages to it and has been prevalent in the Chapter since its inception. *'Stage 1: 'The first stage of ''Banquete ''causes the immune system of the Space Marine to attack the skins pigment cells. This causes the Astartes skin to become covered with pale white blotches, spreading until their skin has turned completely white. Similar to real life disease Vitiligo. For most, the disease halts at this stage and proves to be little more than a superficial condition. *'Stage 2: '''For some unfortunate Amethyst Knights, the affliction will advance to its second stage. When this happens, the bodies immune system not only attacks the pigment cells but starts to cut the connection of the Space Marines nervous system to the Black Carapace implant in their bodies. This makes them unable to effectively use Power Armor, and will eventually result in the afflicted's death. For most members of the Chapter, it is rare for the disease to advance past the first stage, but it remains as a constant danger to all the Marines of the Amethyst Knights. Former Cheif Apothecary Silvias attempted to fix this flaw within the Chapters Gene-Seed, but while his solution initially seemed successful, it ended up advancing over half of the Astartes of the Chapter into the second stage of the affliction, leading to their deaths. Notable Members '''Grand Marshal Solomon: The first Chapter Master of the Amethyst Knights, Solomon led the Chapter for nearly a standard century before his death on the planet Hardola III. His personal weapon, the Eviscerator ''Giants Bane ''is enshrined within the Chapters Fortress-Monastery on Novera. '''Chief Apothecary Silvias: '''Former Chief Apothecary of the Amethyst Knights, Silvias served with the Chapter for nearly 3 centuries. He attempted to fix the flaws in the Chapters Gene-Seed, but as a result, ended up causing the deaths of over half of its Battle-Brothers. Despite his noble intentions, Grand Marshal Swain was left with little choice but to execute the Apothecary and destroy his research. '''Grand Marshal Swain: '''Current Grand Marshal of the Amethyst Knights, Swain has led the Chapter for over 4 centuries. Making a name for himself by putting down rebellions within the Creptan Sub-Sector, Swain was formally the Marshal of the 2nd Battalion before becoming the Grand Marshal. Is also known to prefer the use of Lightning Claws in battle, a rarity among his Chapter. Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Geneseed Category:15th Founding Category:Trooper95